If you want to learn how to succeed in life, then there's a habit you need to adopt starting today. And since it's a habit you'll need to put it into practice every day. This vital habit is something you'd also want to exercise if you wish to learn how to succeed in business too.

This habit can be best illustrated with a story...

Suppose for a moment you've decided to start a home based business. As anybody who has ever tried will tell you, starting a home business is always a challenge. Getting your business up off the ground requires a healthy dose of focus, dollars, times and effort. There could be lengthy periods of time where you'll be investing everything you've got into your business with very little, if anything, to show for it.

Eventually, however, the fruits of your labor will begin to show. Maybe a small sale is made or you receive a phone call from a good, potential client. Whatever the case, something happens which is a positive step in the right direction.

Make sure you celebrate and fully appreciate every result you see regardless of how small or insignificant they may seem.

To the new entrepreneur inexperienced in how to start and grow a business, it's easy to be disappointed over seemingly insignificant results. By nature, we are impatient. We want things to happen in short order.

Always remember; the big results you desire can only be born of the small, initial results. Or, to say it another way, you must walk before you can run.

For example, let's take a farmer. Farming has got to be one of the most physically demanding jobs you'll find anywhere. Farmers put in a whole bunch of effort gearing up to plant seeds early in their growing season. And, after the seeds are planted, there is a tremendous amount of effort which goes into nurturing the seeds. Finally, after a great deal of effort, seedlings begin to sprout.

Do you suppose a farmer is disappointed to see the seedlings - a small result - or is he happy to see them? You can bet he is thrilled to see his crops begin to grow.

A farmer invests tons effort to see those seedlings come up out of the ground but there is literally nothing he can do with them. He can't yank them up and sell them at that point to make his effort worthwhile. The farmer can only continue with his long days of arduous work in order to get the seedlings to a point to where they will reward his hard work.

So what's the moral of this story? What can we learn from this example of the farmer? It can be summed up in one word and it's also that magic habit you need to adopt: appreciation.

Indeed, you have got to learn to appreciate every victory you experience in your business no matter how small it may seem. Every day get into the habit of recognizing at minimum one good thing to come about as a result of your efforts. Appreciation is so important to the growth of your business. Because if you don't learn to appreciate the small stuff then chances are good you'll never see the big stuff.